Visiting Hours
by FinnKaenbyou
Summary: Yachie has some final affairs to settle with an old friend. (CW: On-screen death)


There were some things Yachie didn't want named after her.

The Kicchou Memorial Ward was easily the best-stocked wing of the hospital. State-of-the-art equipment hung beside all of the beds, and each surface was polished to an obnoxious sheen. Every doctor on call was a medical prodigy with half a dozen PhDs to their name. It was as glamorous as medicine could get, and she'd heard stories of visitors hurling themselves down staircases to earn rights to a bed.

It never worked, of course. This was the Kiketsu Family's personal treatment facility, funded by an extremely generous donation. It was a place for her top brass to recover from the injuries that came naturally with yakuza life. Her plan had been for something low-key and inconspicuous, but clearly the directors had spent her money a little too freely. It was tacky, and just thinking about it was enough to raise her blood pressure.

As usual, none of this frustration made its way to the surface. Yachie knew the importance of outward appearances better than anyone. She greeted each passing nurse with a gentle smile as she made her way across the ward, even waving at one behind her silky gloves.

"604, 603...here we are."

Yachie double-checked the note she'd been handed at reception. Room 602 wasn't marked as holding a patient, but the light was on and the door was locked. Clearly these people didn't have the faintest idea how subtlety worked. She gave the door a gentle rap, and it creaked open a few seconds later.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, this room is-" The nurse half-started a response before she realised who she was speaking to. "O-Oh, miss Kicchou! I didn't realise you'd be visiting us today."

"I wanted this to be a surprise." Yachie motioned to the bouquet of red lilies she was carrying. "How's she doing?"

"Well, the good news is she's through the worst of it." The nurse sighed with relief. "She's very lucky to be alive right now. It'll be a few weeks before she can even think of leaving, though."

"I see." Yachie looked behind the nurse and into the room. "Would it be okay if I spoke with her? We have some private matters to discuss."

"Eh?" The nurse gulped. "But my boss said nobody was allowed to-"

"He made an exception for me." Yachie leaned forward, staring straight into the woman's eyes. "And could you turn off the cameras as well? When I say private, I really do mean it."

The nurse's face stiffened for an instant as Yachie's power took hold. It was nothing drastic, just a few quiet suggestions to do as she was told. A faint gloss hung over her eyes as she stepped aside.

"Of course, Miss Kicchou. I'll make sure nobody disturbs you."

"That'd be great, thanks."

Yachie let herself in, making sure to lock the door behind her. Room 602 was just as extravagant as its neighbours, but it was one of the few rooms seeing actual use. The faint hum of machinery was regularly interrupted by the shrill beep of a heart monitor. A woman in a hospital gown was laid out on the bed, her fox tail hanging off of the edge. Half a dozen sensors were attached to her body, and blood-caked bandages were wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Good evening, Tama."

The fox's eyes fluttered open at Yachie's voice. "B...Boss? 'zat you?"

"That's right." Yachie pulled up a chair and sat at the foot of the bed. "Thought you could use some company after today's antics."

Tama smirked as she heaved forward into a sitting position. The gown slipped off of her shoulder, revealing a jagged horn tattoo along the nape of her neck. It was the symbol of the Kiketsu Family, worn prominently by its highest members.

"Sorry 'm kinda hazy." The fox pointed to an IV drip attached to her wrist. "Lotta pain juice inside me right now."

"I can imagine." Yachie nodded. "How many bullets did they pull out of you, again?"

"Seven," Tama said, her face sweltering with pride. "I get to take 'em home in a little bag."

Yachie chuckled, laying down her flowers at the foot of the bed. Tama was never the smartest, but she had a talent for brightening a room. Even in the yakuza, nothing disarmed a tense situation quite like a well-timed joke.

"You've come a long way, haven't you?" Yachie eyed the camera overhead from the corner of her eye. "From picking pockets in the alley to taking a bullet for the matriarch. Everyone's singing your praises back at headquarters."

"Heheh." Tama's tail wagged at her side. "That's what being in the family's all about, right? Loyalty and all that."

"Indeed." Yachie's smile widened. "And you would never turn on me, would you, Tama?"

"Of course not!" Tama sat up straight, her ears standing at attention. "Wouldn't dream of it. Tama the Trustworthy, that's what they call me. OK, maybe they don't, but they would if I asked 'em to."

The fox's voice wobbled for a fraction of a second – too subtle for most people to notice, but easy pickings for a professional like Yachie. She'd already double checked the facts in advance, but this was enough to confirm what she already knew.

The light on the camera clicked off.

"I have to say, this place is pretty luxurious." Yachie stood up, picking up a pillow at the side of the bed. "What's inside these things?"

"Iunno." Tama shrugged. "Some kinda feathers. Goose, maybe."

"Hmm." Yachie looked the fox in the eye. "Maybe you should take a closer look."

In one clean motion, she shoved the pillow into Tama's face.

"Hmmrrgh?!"

Tama let out a muffled grunt as her air was abruptly cut off. Yachie pressed down with both hands, making sure the fox had no chance to slip out of her grip.

"It's difficult to lie when you're full of morphine." The dragon's smile was as gentle as ever. "I do commend you for trying, though."

"GMMNNPHHN!"

Tama tried to pull Yachie's hands away, but she was too weak to offer any resistance. In desperation she grabbed for the call button, but Yachie's tail had already scooped it out of reach.

"Did you think I wouldn't find out about your little slush fund?" Yachie continued. "Stealing from the family treasury is a grave offense, you know. Some people might even call it treasonous."

Tama probably wasn't listening at this point. She was in panic mode, flailing and writhing as the lack of air started to kick in. Monitors and sensors fired off a volley of beeps, begging for medical staff to intervene before it was too late.

Too bad none of them were watching.

"You left me in quite the conundrum, you know." Yachie spoke as if they'd never moved past small talk. "That show of bravado made you quite the hero among the rank and file. If it ever got out that you'd been swindling us, it'd wreak havoc on our reputation.

"So I made a decision." Yachie pressed down harder with the pillow. "The brave lieutenant who took a bullet for the boss will die tragically of her injuries. I give a traitor the punishment she deserves, and you go down in history as a hero. A win-win situation, don't you think?"

By now Tama's body was shutting down from oxygen deprivation. She didn't even have the energy to try and fight Yachie off. The fox could only grunt and gurgle as her muscles broke into violent spasm.

"Hmggh...ghnn..."

With one last show of strength, Tama managed to grab at Yachie's forearm. Her eye poked out from beneath the pillow, bloodshot and frantic, looking up at her boss with a silent plea for mercy.

Yachie didn't even flinch.

"You were a good soldier, Tama." The dragon sighed. "It's a shame you couldn't keep your avarice in check."

Tama's spasms only lasted a few seconds after that. Her eyes rolled backwards into her skull, her last breath heaving against the surface of the pillow. All at once her body went limp, sending the monitors behind her into an uproar.

"There we go."

Once she'd ensured Tama wasn't breathing, Yachie worked to clean up the scene. She fluffed up the incriminating pillow, swapping it with the one behind the fox's head. The gloves meant she wouldn't have to worry about fingerprints or other sorts of evidence. Next she shuffled Tama's body back into a resting position, then gently pulled her eyes closed. The fox's expression was relaxed, like she'd just drifted into a peaceful slumber.

After that, all that was left was to watch the fox's life trickle away. It was probably safe to leave already, but Yachie didn't want to risk any miraculous rescues. Besides, even traitors deserved at least a little dignity in death.

"Goodbye, old friend." She placed the bouquet of flowers on Tama's lap. Red spider lilies. A tribute to the dead. "Here's hoping your next life is kinder to you."

The beeping from the heart monitor grew slower, fainter, quieter, until finally it came to a stop. Yachie turned off the machine so the alarm wouldn't draw more attention. She let herself out, making sure the door was firmly closed behind her as she made her way out of the ward.

There was plenty of work left to be done. Coroners to bribe, paperwork to forge, favours to call in. She was already tired from everything that had happened tonight. But that was a fact she planned to keep to herself. As far as the rest of the world could tell, she was ready for anything.

"Oh, Miss Kicchou!" The nurse from earlier caught her at the ward's entrance. "Are you finished with the patient?"

Yachie raised her head and wore her brightest smile. "Something like that."


End file.
